Northern hog badger
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Arctonyx
Species:
A. albogularis
Binomial name
Arctonyx albogularis
(Blyth, 1853)

The northern hog badger (Arctonyx albogularis) is a species of mustelid native to South and East Asia.[2]

Taxonomy

It was formerly considered a subspecies of the greater hog badger (A. collaris) when A. collaris was considered the only species in Arctonyx, but a 2008 study split the genus into three species, including A. albogularis and A. hoevenii (Sumatran hog badger).[3]

Description

The species is much smaller than the greater hog badger and has a more gracile skull. Elderly animals only have a moderately developed sagittal crest, in contrast to the two other species in the genus. It has a softer pelage with longer hairs than the other Arctonyx, with thick underfur during the winter months. It has blackish forequarters, with the mid-back, tail, and hindquarters either being white or mixed with white. It is darker than the greater hog badger but lighter than the Sumatran hog badger. The species displays significant geographical variation, and some forms may represent distinct subspecies.[3]

Distribution

The species is ranges from northeast India and Bangladesh northeast to most of eastern China. An isolated record is known from eastern Mongolia. The species may potentially exist in Nepal and Bhutan, but this remains unconfirmed.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Helgen, K. & Chan, B. (2016). "Arctonyx albogularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T70206273A70206436. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T70206273A70206436.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Arctonyx albogularis (Blyth, 1853)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  3. ^ a b Helgen, Kristofer M.; Lim, Norman T.-L.; Helgen, Lauren E. (2008). "The hog-badger is not an edentate: systematics and evolution of the genus Arctonyx (Mammalia: Mustelidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 154 (2): 353–385. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00416.x. ISSN 1096-3642. PMC 7107037. PMID 32287392.
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